


My Night with Ben (But Not Really)

by whosgirl22



Category: British Actor RPF, Sherlock (TV) RPF
Genre: A really vivid dream, About history, And talkin, And traveling, Because I needed to, Gen, Idk it was a dream okay, It's not sexual, Just bros chillin, Sort of real life, That I wrote up as a story, and stuff, dream - Freeform, personal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-11
Updated: 2013-07-11
Packaged: 2017-12-19 03:39:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/878990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whosgirl22/pseuds/whosgirl22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So a few weeks ago I had a dream. About Benedict. In which he, myself and my best friend Alex all went snorkeling together in this giant swimmable aquarium thing at a hotel in London. And then hung out afterwards in the hot tub, talking. It was random and awesome and really really vivid. So I wrote it up as a story and then decided, what the hell, why don't I publish this thing. Because what else is the internet for? Please understand that I don't mean to be disrespectful or creepy or anything like that. I just thought it might be fun to share something random like this with the rest of you crazy people out there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Night with Ben (But Not Really)

**Author's Note:**

> A bit of background: I'm a certified scuba diver and grew up snorkeling/diving in the kelp forest at Catalina Island off the coast of California (click the link in the story for a pic). Long story short, I am a water baby. Swimming is my thing. This is why I love that our boy Benny is by all accounts also a swimmer/scuba-diver/water person. I think that's what inspired this dream. But anyway....

The dream started thus: my best friend Alex and I were in London on vacation. We were staying at this nice hotel with a HUGE salt-water aquarium that guests could snorkel/scuba dive in. Half of it was a tropical reef and half of it was a [kelp forest](http://blog.oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/kelp-forest-Ship-Rock4.png). She and I were really looking forward to exploring it on our own, so we went down later in the evening, hoping that it would be fairly deserted (which it was). So there we were sitting on the edge of the pool, getting all our stuff on and chatting away when I heard the door open and looked up to see Benedict walking in, of all people.

He was wearing swim trunks and an unbelted hotel robe, had a towel slung around his neck, and was carrying a net bag containing his mask, snorkel and fins. He was sort of looking down and humming quietly to himself, but then he looked up, saw us, stopped and smiled. We smiled back, as you do, and he continued on a bit, before sitting down just far enough away from us to keep to himself, but not far enough away that we couldn't have a conversation if we really wanted to. Alex and I were looking at each other, trying not to freak out too much because oh my god it was BENEDICT FREAKIN' CUMBERBATCH and he’s pretty much the epitome of our perfect man. We wanted to respect his need for privacy, though, so we continued on chatting as if still alone, albeit a bit more quietly and with our hearts thumping a bit louder than usual.

We were just about to put our masks on when I suddenly heard a deep baritone voice from over my left shoulder. 'Hi,' it said, 'sorry to bother you, but have you got any of those drops that help you clear your ears when you're diving? I seem to have left mine in my room, and I don't really fancy going back up to get them.'

I turned to find Benedict approaching me, clad only in his light blue trunks, a somewhat shy smile on his face, and I grinned as I replied, 'Well, you're in luck then because I just happen to have some with me!' I turned and grabbed the drops from my net bag and when I turned back he was there, in all his pale 6’ perfection, ebony curls and everything. I reached up as he reached down, and the bottle of drops switched hands. 

'Thanks', he said, tilting his head to first one side, then the other as he unscrewed the cap and placed a few drops of liquid in each ear. 

'No problem,' I said as he handed the bottle back. 

'I'm Benedict, by the way,' he said, keeping his hand extended toward mine in what was obviously meant to be his half of a handshake. 

'Oh!' I exclaimed, awkwardly trying to stand and shake his hand at the same time, an action made all the more difficult by the fact that I was still wearing my fins. After a brief struggle for balance, I finally managed to rise to my full 5'3'' and clasp his large hand in mine, shaking it up and down as I replied, 'I'm Kate.' Alex had gotten to her feet behind me and I turned to her with a nod of my head. 'And this is Alex.' 

'Pleased to meet you Alex,' he said, reaching over to shake her hand as well, ever the gentleman. She grinned. 'And you too, Kate,' he added, turning back to me. 

We stood there for a few awkward moments as I vacillated between asking him to join us or not. _Oh what the hell, it's not like I'm ever going to have this chance again,_ I finally thought, and opened my mouth to speak. In a surprisingly steady voice I asked, 'Um, so, I know you probably want to do your own thing, but would you care to join us?’ He looked surprised, but I wasn’t finished yet, so I hurried on determinedly. ‘I've always found it's more fun to snorkel with people you can share your discoveries with.' (This is something I do with my family all the time and seriously it is more fun to point out things to other people instead of wandering alone).  

Alex nodded her agreement before quickly chiming in with 'We completely understand if you don't want to, us being complete strangers and all - but we thought we'd ask, just in case it sounded like fun.' 

Benedict looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied, 'You know what? Yes. Sounds lovely. Let me get my mask and fins on and then…meet you in the water?' 

'Great!' we replied in unison, and I didn't have to look at Alex to know that she was groaning inwardly at how cutesy we had just sounded. Luckily Benedict didn't seem to notice as he turned away and headed back toward his stuff. 'Oh my god oh my god oh my god' Alex mouthed at me as we stared at each other, a bit in shock. WE WERE GOING SNORKELING WITH BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH.  

The dream continued on from there, with the three of us having a grand old time of swimming around, diving down to peer under rocks and such. I was the 'expert' on the kelp forest, so I was able to point out seniorita, half-moons, garibaldi, opaleye, sea urchins, moray eels and other native species. Benedict had more experience in tropical diving so it was his turn to play expert when we reached the warmer portion of the tank. Alex ended up pointing out various things for us to identify and the time just flew by until all of a sudden our skin was wrinkly and we were all a bit chilled. We surfaced, and after a few moments of discussion reached a general consensus that it would be a grand idea to go sit in the hot tub and warm up for a bit. 

The dream skipped ahead to where we were all sitting in the jacuzzi, heads back, Alex and I next to each other with Benedict across from us. After a few minutes of soaking and relaxing, Benedict lifted his head up, turned to Alex and asked, 'So what brings you ladies to London?' 

'Oh you know, the usual,' she replied, straightening a bit. 'Sightseeing, wanting to get out of town, travel to a new place, etc.' 

'Yeah pretty much,' I added. 'We've both been wanting to travel to the UK for awhile now and finally have the funds/time to do it.'  

‘You’re from the States then, going by your accent,’ he noted, lips twitching upward. 

‘Yeah I’m a Midwest girl from Michigan,’ I declared proudly. Alex rolled her eyes and added, ‘And I’m from Rhode Island.’ I could see the question in Ben’s eyes so I quickly explained, ‘We met at college and have been really good friends ever since.’ 

He smiled at that. ‘I can tell. Any specific places you have in mind to visit?’ 

‘Welllll,’ I drawled, ‘I really want to go to the Tower, not only for the jewels but also because I’m really interested in the history of Elizabeth I and I’d love to see the cell where she was imprisoned during Mary’s reign.’ 

‘You’re interested in a British ruler from over 400 years ago?’ he said slowly, raising his eyebrows. It occurred to me that maybe he thought I was just saying that to impress him or something, but I continued on anyway, as this was something I was truly interested in. 

‘Yep!’ I replied. ‘I think there’s still a lot we can learn from her, not only on a general socio-economic and political level, but also on a more personal level, as women in a world still run mainly by men. She used her gender to her advantage in a way not many have done before or since; in fact, that’s what I wrote my undergrad thesis on when I was at school.’ 

He nodded, pale eyes intent on mine, and I could see his skepticism beginning to melt into acceptance of the fact that maybe I did know what I was talking about. I continued on, emboldened by this unsaid encouragement.  

‘It is true that her initial success was helped through the unpopularity of her radical half-siblings; it is also true that she used her father’s lingering popularity among her subjects to her advantage. However, the simple fact is, the woman was a genius – she spoke six languages, wrote poetry, and could hold her own in theological and political debates. She was also politically savvy – she knew how to play her suitors against one another, dangling herself and her country as a prize. This kept England from being attacked early on and allowed it to stabilize, which in turn provided a base for later expansion and growth; essentially, the start of the Empire as we remember it today. Elizabeth was far from perfect, of course, but she was a damn fine woman and ruler and kicked some serious ass.’ My back had straightened until I was sitting almost upright as I talked; having finished I relaxed slightly and leaned back, quelling the urge to laugh nervously as I waited for a final judgment. 

Benedict shook his head, chuckling a little. ‘I have to say that your passion for that particular subject is rather unexpected. But’ - he added, seeing my face begin to fall, ‘certainly not unappreciated. You’re right – she was rather extraordinary. Forgive me for doubting your interest initially – I can’t say I’m used to encountering people who appreciate the lessons to be learned from history and its long dead queens.’ He smiled at me and I smiled back, happy to have found a fellow history enthusiast and even more happy that I hadn’t made a complete fool of myself. 

Alex shook her head, a mock groan escaping from her lips. ‘Oh god, don’t encourage her, you’ll only make it worse. It’ll be like our spring break trip all over again.’ 

‘Hey!’ I exclaimed, shifting to face her before turning back to the man across from me. ‘You really liked that trip.’ 

‘What trip was this?’ Benedict inquired, nose crinkling. 

‘Oh, just one where we gave her free reins on destinations and we ended up stopping at every historical site in existence,’ Alex replied, rolling her eyes. 

‘To be fair,’ I rejoined, ‘I did ask all of you beforehand if you had any particular place you wanted to stop and you all said no, so…I took the liberty of planning the trip.’ 

‘Where did you go?’ Benedict asked, sounding intrigued. 

‘We were driving from Rhode Island to the Outer Banks of North Carolina to stay with my cousin,’ I explained, shifting my gaze away from Alex’s and back toward him. ‘My grandparents live outside of Baltimore, so we stayed with them for a few days, which gave us the perfect opportunity to explore the inner harbor; notably, the National Aquarium and Fort McHenry. Had to see where the National Anthem was written, of course.’ 

‘Of course,’ he replied, smiling a little. ‘Then what? Washington DC?’ 

‘No, not enough time. We decided on Williamsburg and Jamestown in Virginia because we were driving right past and they’re both interesting places. Williamsburg was okay’ – out of the corner of my eye I saw Alex nod her head in agreement - ‘but Jamestown was much better. I’m not really sure why…less touristy I think.’ 

‘Yeah and don’t forget the super sketchy motel we stayed in that night,’ Alex chimed in. She turned to Benedict. ‘I’m pretty sure it was full of drug dealers and homeless people’. This earned a short laugh from him that quickly turned into an uncertain look as he tried to determine if she was being serious or not (she was). 

‘And then you forgot to lock the room door when we went to bed,’ I said, mock glaring at her. 

Alex looked abashed. ‘Yeah…my bad,’ she drawled, and then giggled.

Having moved from uncertainty to amusement, Benedict cracked a wry smile. ‘Sounds lovely,’ he said. 

‘Merica,’ I said, in an awful fake hillbilly accent. That earned another chuckle. ‘Anywaaay,’ I said, not wanting to get too sidetracked, ‘after our interesting night in Jamestown, we kept going south, stopping at the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kitty Hawk before finally arriving at Cape Hatteras.’ 

‘So it really was one historical landmark after another,’ Benedict mused, looking impressed. ‘That’s at least one from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries now, isn’t it?’ 

‘Yep,’ I replied, grinning. ‘And we added a few more with the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the pirate museum and the Gettysburg battlefield on our way back north.’ 

‘The pirate museum wasn’t actually as corny as you might think,’ Alex hastened to add. She looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘Actually, the whole trip was pretty fun. And interesting.’ She looked over at Benedict, eyes twinkling. ‘I was just teasing before, but only because it’s so much fun to wind _her_ ’ – she nodded toward me – ‘up. She reacts so beautifully.’ 

‘I do not!’ I replied hotly, then fell silent, realizing I’d just proved her point. ‘Oh shut up,’ I mumbled, not needing to look at Alex to know that she was fighting to keep a straight face. 

‘Sounds like quite the trip,’ Benedict said, thankfully interrupting before our snarkiness could go any further. ‘However, if it’s history you’re interested in, you’ve definitely come to the right place. London is practically dripping with historical significance.’ He grinned at this pronouncement, and then proceeded to tell us about all his favorite places in the city, highlighting ones that he thought we would really enjoy. Alex and I were absolutely enthralled – here we were, sitting in a hot tub with Benedict Cumberbatch, having a perfectly normal conversation about things to do and see in London. Amazing. 

‘Wow we will definitely look those up,’ I said when he’d finished. ‘Thank you so much.’ 

‘No problem at all ladies,’ he smiled. ‘Happy to help.’ 

We fell silent once again, enjoying the steaming of the hot water surrounding us. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, content to sit and absorb all the information we had just been given. A few moments passed and it suddenly struck me that it was a bit odd that Benedict was here in the first place. _Well,_ I thought wryly, _no time like the present to find out why_. I opened my eyes. ‘So, Ben,’ I began, looking across at Benedict once more. His eyes opened, pinning me with their brightness. ‘I don’t mean to pry or anything, but what are you, a native, doing at a hotel? Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, at your flat or something?’ 

‘You would think that, wouldn’t you,’ he replied with a wry smile. ‘I’ve actually been staying with my parents at their house a few hours outside London while my flat gets a remodel, but I got off work late tonight and didn’t feel like driving that far.’ 

I nodded – that made a certain amount of sense, actually. 

‘Besides,’ he continued, ‘I’ve always wanted to explore this’ – he paused, looking a bit perturbed. ‘What exactly would you call this place?’ he asked. 

‘Ummm, I don’t know, a salt water pool thing?’ I offered, rather unhelpfully. He shook his head. 

‘A swimmable aquarium?’ Alex tried. 

‘Hmmm, that’s a bit closer, but still not right,’ he mused. He shook his head again. ‘Doesn’t matter – I guess what I really wanted to see is if it lived up to the hype. And as someone who’s spent some time in the tropics snorkeling and scuba diving, well, I kind of have to say that it does.’ He smiled and turned toward me. ‘How about the kelp forest Kate? You’ve had the most experience of the three of us in the real one. Did it meet your expectations?’ 

I nodded. ‘All that’s missing are the sharks and the sea lions!’ I quipped. Benedict gave a crooked grin even as Alex shuddered. 

‘No sharks for me, thanks,’ she said, grimacing. 

‘Not even widdle four foot cute ones?’ I teased, tongue poking out between my teeth. 

‘What am I, two?’ she scoffed, not impressed with my baby voice. ‘No, not even ‘widdle four foot cute ones.’’ 

A sudden ding from the speakers in the ceiling saved us from embarrassing ourselves further. 

‘Attention guests,’ a smooth female voice began. ‘The Marine Diving and Exploration Center will be closing in ten minutes. If you could all make your way toward the exit it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here at the Grand Royal.’ 

Benedict pursed his lips and looked across at us. 

‘Guess that’s our cue to leave then,’ I said in response to his unasked query. 

‘Hey, at least we know what this place is called now,’ Alex commented as she hoisted herself up to sit on the edge of the hot tub, her feet dangling in the water for a brief moment before they left it completely. 

‘True,’ I replied as I echoed her movements. ‘Kind of an obvious name, but I’ll go with it.’ 

Benedict raised his brows in agreement. ‘Well girls,’ he said as he pulled himself fully up out of the water and onto the tile deck, ‘it’s been a pleasure.’ He gestured toward the door. ‘Shall we?’ 

Alex and I nodded and we started to walk back toward our clothes, all in a line, with Benedict on the left, me in the middle and Alex on my right. We walked silence for a few moments and I couldn’t help but think how sad it was that this adventure was coming to an end. 

‘You know,’ Benedict began suddenly, looking over at us as we continued to walk, ‘I am really glad that you two asked me to join you this evening. It was really kind of you to invite a total stranger to share in your snorkeling adventure. And I also have to say that you were right, Kate.’ His eyes shifted to meet mine in a brief moment of camaraderie. ‘It is more fun when you have someone to share it with.’ He grinned. 

I grinned back and even though I wasn’t looking at her, I was pretty sure Alex was grinning too. ‘It was our pleasure,’ I replied, because really, how could I say anything else? 

‘Anytime,’ Alex added brightly.

Benedict nodded and then continued on briskly. ‘That brings me to my next point: tomorrow is the first time in a long time that I don’t have to be up early for work and I was thinking it might be nice to celebrate that with a nightcap in the hotel bar. Fancy joining me?’ 

Our surprise must have shown on our faces and he quickly held up a hand to stave off any protests. ‘Now now,’ he said, ‘I know what you’re going to say – you can’t possibly go drinking with a strange man.’ 

 _Not exactly,_ I thought wryly. Alex made a noise and for a second I thought she was going to snort in disbelief at the turn this night was taking. 

‘Please don’t feel obligated to join me,’ he continued with a soft smile. ‘It’s just, well, I’d like to thank you for your generousity with a proper drink. Besides, I need one, after the week I’ve had. And drinking alone is no fun. So how about it?’ 

Alex and I looked at each other and then back at him. ‘Yes,’ we replied in unison. I ducked my head in embarrassment at having chorused something yet again before clearing my throat. 

‘Yes,' A brief pause. 'Yes, that would be lovely,’ I said, and smiled. 

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s it folks. That’s the dream. Hope you’ve enjoyed my retelling of it and aren’t too bored with what goes on in my head. It’s a crazy place in there sometimes. Hah.


End file.
